But instead of releasing her after we shake, I keep her hand enclosed in mine as I set it on the table. To my surprise, she doesn’t pull away, even as my thumb grazes her knuckles.
“Santa never came the first year I was in foster care,” she continues. “Or the second. Or the third. After the fourth, I sort of gave up hope. Stopped believing in Santa. Until the next year when the family I was with took me to Holley Ridge for a carnival they put on for foster kids. It was the first time I felt happy in ages. Seeing Santa. Opening presents. I actually smiled.”
“How did you end up getting adopted?”
“My adoptive parents weren’t able to have kids, so they tried to fill that void in other ways. Mama believed it was fate that brought us together. At the kid’s carnival that year, they learned my current foster family would be relocating because of my foster father’s job. The Holley’s had been going through the adoption process for a while, but things kept falling through. They were about to give up since they were both nearing fifty. Luckily, they were already approved as foster parents, so they asked the state if they could be my new placement. My case worker agreed, and I moved in with them right before Christmas. A few years later, my adoption was finalized, and I officially became a Holley.”
“They sound like incredible people.”
“They were the best people,” she says without hesitation, the respect and love she has for them obvious.
Our server reappears with our meals, breaking the moment. When Parker pulls her hand from mine, a chill sweeps over my skin from the loss of contact.
If nothing else comes out of tonight, at least it’s allowed me to see Parker Holley in a different light. Understand what makes her tick a little better.
“I know selling is the smart thing,” Parker says after several long moments, both of us having taken a break in the conversation to enjoy our meals. Braised lamb for me. Salmon for her.
“It is?” I arch a brow.
“Like you said, if the property goes to auction, there’s a chance I may not see even a fraction of what you’re offering. May walk away worse off than I am now. But it’s not just a piece of property to me. My parents did so much. Gave me a home. A family.” She swallows hard.
“I feel like if I give up now, I’m giving up on them. That I’m letting go of them. They wouldn’t have wanted me to get rich off selling the property to some real estate developer so he could build luxury homes on it. Their dream was to host weddings on that property. To see me get married in that barn. I can’t give up on their dream now.”
I take a large swallow of wine, then slice into the lamb again. “What if we come up with something different to do with the property? Something other than timeshares, since it seems readily apparent you hate that idea. If we came up with something that allows their dreams of hosting weddings to still be realized, would you be interested in selling then?”
She narrows her gaze on me. “We both know once I sign those papers and the property transfer goes through, you could change your mind, especially since the county zoning commission loves the idea of building as many condos and timeshares in the area as possible to increase tourism.”
“That’s true. But what if I give you my word we wouldn’t destroy what you built? What your parents built? We could keep the barn and the inn. Maybe turn the property into more of a resort instead of impersonal condos and timeshares. I’ve been doing some research.”
“You have?”
I nod.
“And I assumed you spent most of the day playing chess with your new friends.”
“Have you been keeping tabs on me, Ms. Holley?”
A blush blooms on her cheeks. “Just making sure the resident Grinch doesn’t do anything to ruin Christmas for others.”
“Of course.” Warmth fills me over the idea that she’s been watching me.
Just like I’ve been doing everything to steal a glimpse of her over the past few days.
“Most of the surrounding towns are inundated with condos for all the snow bunnies,” I continue. “My job entails not just finding a great piece of property to develop, but also determining gaps in the market that need to be filled. A resort could do that. And it won’t be timeshares or condos.”
She rubs her lips together, considering my proposal. Then she pushes out a long sigh, making me think that’s not good enough for her, either.
“I appreciate that you’re willing to address my concerns. Or at least listen to them. I don’t know if I can give you the answer you want, no matter what plans you come up with. Not when there’s still a chance for a miracle. My parents didn’t give up on their hope of adopting a child. I didn’t give up on my hope of finally having a family again, although I was damn close. I can’t give up on this. Not yet. Like I’ve told Haley and Estelle. If there’s any time of year a miracle could happen, it’s Christmas. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to table this discussion until after Christmas. At that point, I’m more than happy to discuss this. Not until then.”
I exhale a deep breath and nod. If she told me the same thing a week ago, I would have berated her for holding onto something as ridiculous as hope. Hell, Ididberate her for thinking the universe would present her with a solution all because she manifested one. Now that I’ve spent some time with her, I understand her a little better.
And not giving up her hope is the most important thing to her.
For a few years, hope was all she had.
“Well then…” I grab my wine glass and raise it, “to Christmas miracles. I hope yours comes true.”
“Even though that would mean you’d miss out on making millions of dollars?”
